By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda snapped back from a four-game slip to take down Panathinaikos OPAP Athens with an 81-48 victory at home in Round 8 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The Serbian side improved to a 3-5 record after controlling the game from start to finish to bounce back in style.
Zvezda held on to as much as a 19-point lead in the middle of the third quarter (53-34) in a game of very slow tempo and several missed shots. The biggest example was Panathinaikos’ shooting from the perimeter, as the Greens have only made one of their total 14 attempted efforts in the first 30 minutes. The deficit rose to 21 points after 30 minutes (57-36) and from that point on there was no turning back for the Greens.
An early 8-0 run in the fourth by the hosts added up to Panathinaikos’ woes, as the Greek side suffered its worst defeat in the competition.
Nate Wolters paced the efforts of Zvezda that also struggled in their three-point shooting with a total of 18 points, along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Austin Hollins dropped 11 points and Nikola Kalinic added up to the efforts with 10 points.
“We needed [something like] this badly. It’s been rough stress over the last couple of weeks and getting a home game, then playing like we played tonight, we got to do that”, said Wolters.
Panathinaikos traveled to Belgrade without a key piece of their rotation, Nemanja Nedovic, who remains sidelined with an adductor strain.
“It was a bad night, maybe the worst so far for us. It’s very embarrassing what we did, the way we played tonight. There are a lot of things I can say but I prefer to talk to my team first”, commented head coach Dimitris Priftis briefly after the loss.
Daryl Macon Jr. and Howard Sant-Roos led the efforts of Priftis’ squad with 15 and 10 points respectively, as Panathinaikos now slips down to a 2-6 record.
Photo: EuroLeague